Fish in the News. Each week the Bailey Brothers start the Pet Fish Talk Show with some fun and interesting stories about fish in the news.       If you can't see the video, shown just above, try clicking here.    In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Museum Exhibits So-Called Four-Eyed Fish. Go ahead, call them four eyes, they won't mind. They don't even have glasses. In fact, they're born with two pairs of peepers. "They" are part of a new school of fish at the aquarium at the Berkshire Museum. Over the past few weeks, aquarist Scott Jervas has been busy making homes for two new species of fish, including a four-eyed brackish breed known as Anableps. The aquarium also has three new Amazon River natives called banded cichlid. Acquisition of the fish came about as part of an aquarist exchange program. Jervas is a member of an online network of about 900 aquarium scientists who trade surplus species and supplies as well as information and tips for managing aquarium life. The four-eyed fish are like minnows with asymmetrical eyes and a unique reproductive system. "They can see clearly both above and below water simultaneously," said Jervas. He believes that the whirligig beetle is the only other species with such specialized vision. In addition, the four-eyed fish are one-sided livebearers, meaning they only mate on one side. Males whose reproductive organs are on the right can only breed with left-"handed" females and vice versa. "People come here and go 'Ooh, look — piranhas!' But there's much more," Jervas said. "Piranhas are boring." Click here to read more.     In Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines, Divers Plant Giant Clams Underwater. Local fishermen weren’t around to see the giant clams gently “planted” around the seabed but in a few years, they will benefit from the clam garden with a bigger harvest of fish. Under overcast skies, divers plunged into the calm seas off the picturesque beach of Barangay Papaya here, and gingerly unloaded giant clams from their boat, to plant them on the seabed last Wednesday. By noon, a total of 102 clams had been seeded among the coral reefs. “They’re like babies,” Jess Lucas, EVP of SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), said as he watched—from another boat—a diver scoop and pour seawater on two clams before taking them 10 feet under water. The clam-seeding, initiated by SMIC and its partner World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Philippines, was designed to regenerate the marine life in this part of the South China Sea that has been threatened by overfishing. Clams serve as nurseries for small fish, invertebrates and tiny crustaceans. “If you put clams, other [creatures] will come. Fish, soft corals, seaweeds, snails, lobsters, what have you,” said Dr. Suzanne Mingoa-Licuanan of the UP Marine Science Institute who oversaw the clam-seeding. “Giant clams serve as nurseries for marine organisms. They clean the waters, they beautify the place. In its entirety, it’s all good.” Click here to read more.       On the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Coral Reefs Bursting to Go. Within a few days, in the reefs around the Keppels, off Rockhampton and in the Capricorn Cays of the southern Great Barrier Reef, the annual spawning of coral is expected to take place. After the bleaching of the corals in January and February in 2006, last summer's spawning effort was half-hearted. "This year. they're bursting to go," said Central Queensland University coral ecologist Alison Jones. "If people can get to a reef and in the water between the 24th (tomorrow) and the 28th, about 7pm-7.30pm, they'll have a good chance of seeing it happen." In a synchronised exercise, corals liberate millions of eggs on still nights, after a full moon, when the tides are not so strong, the water temperature is right, and there's less chance of the eggs being swept away before fertilisation. As a prelude to the spawning, reef life, little fish and shrimps become wildly agitated. Then, small pink balls can be seen bulging from the polyp mouths of the corals. "They glow pink," Jones explained. "Everything around the reef gets very excited and you know it will happen within half an hour." For 15 minutes, millions of the pink globes stream to the surface. Click here to read more.     In Uganda, East Africa, Lake Victoria is Now a Protected Nature Preserve. Uganda has declared its first ever water reserve, aimed at protecting the disappearing Nile Perch and other species in Lake Victoria. Agriculture minister Hilary Onek said the protected area would be called ‘Commonwealth Lake Reserve’, in commemoration of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which ended on Sunday. He said the protection of the new marine park would begin in December and be spearheaded by the agriculture ministry until funding from donors is found. The reserve, stretching 6.5km south of Munyonyo and 10.4km east of Entebbe, occupies about 100 square kilometres out of the Lake Victoria’s 34,800 square kilometres. It covers the islands of Mukusa, Sanga, Kawaga Light House, Tavu, Kizima, Miru, Mukusa and part of Kimmi, which are all uninhabited. Commercial fishing will not be allowed in the area, while sport fishing will only be permitted under strict conditions. The marine park is meant to protect biological diversity, as fish will be able to breed undisturbed. “Similar reserves worldwide regularly see a five-fold increase in fish stocks compared to nearby commercial fishing areas,” Onek said. Click here to read more.       From National Geographic Magazine Giant Sea Scorpion was Bigger than a Man. A fearsome fossil claw discovered in Germany belonged to the biggest bug ever known, scientists announced Tuesday. The size of a large crocodile, the 390-million-year-old sea scorpion was the top predator of its day, slicing up fish and cannibalizing its own kind in coastal swamp waters, fossil experts say. Jaekelopterus rhenaniae measured some 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) long, scientists estimate, based on the length of its 18-inch (46-centimeter), spiked claw. The find shows that arthropods—animals such as insects, spiders, and crabs, which have hard external skeletons, jointed limbs, and segmented bodies—once grew much larger than previously thought, said paleobiologist Simon Braddy of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. "This is an amazing discovery," Braddy said. "We have known for some time that the fossil record yields monster millipedes, supersized scorpions, colossal cockroaches, and jumbo dragonflies," he added. "But we never realized, until now, just how big some of these ancient creepy-crawlies were." The newfound fossil creature is estimated to be at least one and a half feet (46 centimeters) longer than any previously known prehistoric sea scorpion, a group called eurypterids. Click here to read more.     From Mississippi State University Modified Vaccine Protects Catfish from Bacteria. Mississippi State University researchers are working to develop a new vaccine to protect catfish from a devastating bacterial disease that costs the industry millions of dollars each year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $371,400 to MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine to study enteric septicemia, or ESC. Researchers believe a modified live vaccine against the disease could dramatically reduce economic losses to catfish farmers. Project director Attila Karsi, an assistant research professor, said enteric septicemia is a bacterial disease that costs the catfish industry $50 million to $60 million each year. First identified in 1976, the disease has impacted Mississippi’s catfish production every year. The state’s catfish industry was valued at nearly $273 million in 2006. “Finding safe and effective vaccines to protect the nation’s most important aquaculture industry is an urgent priority,” Karsi said. Click here to read more.       At the University of Cincinnati Zebra Fish Help Study of Human Diseases. University of Cincinnati researchers hope their study of the tiny black-and-white striped zebrafish, whose systems closely track those of humans, will lead to enhanced research on human diseases. A $1.53 million four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health is targeted at creating a camera that will allow more detailed study of zebrafish cells. Jay Hove, an associate professor of molecular and cellular physiology, is working to develop the camera that would improve the study of cell and fluid movement in real time. He also hopes to develop a course for fall 2008. "That's my mission here, to create an internationally recognized research program," said Hove, 43, formerly of the California Institute of Technology. "I saw myself fitting in with what they were doing here." The tropical fish that belongs to the minnow family makes a good research subject because it breeds quickly. "I can literally say, 'I need 10,000 babies next Wednesday,'" said Hove, who was hired in 2004 to establish the program. Other scientists have studied zebrafish. Last year, Dutch researchers said they believe they have identified the gene that determines brain size in zebrafish, a finding that could eventually help in developing therapies for humans suffering from nervous system illnesses like Parkinson's Disease. While genetically distant from humans, the zebrafish has comparable organs and tissues, such as heart, kidney, pancreas, bones, and cartilage. "The zebrafish is therefore a powerful model organism for understanding normal development and birth defects, and providing clues to cure human diseases," Dr. Franziska Grieder, an official with the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health, said Monday. Click here to read more.     Joshua from Okemos, Michigan, sent us this email. Hello Guys and Gals, Its another snowy cold day here in Mid-Michigan ... So I thought I would check around for some interesting news tid bits. Hope you enjoy!   http://www.sciencedaily.com/.../2007/11/071126141550.htm   http://www.mlive.com/...&storylist=newsmichigan   http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/25770/   http://www.gazettetimes.com/.../6loc01_nonnativefish.txt   http://www.reliableplant.com/...&articleid=9198     A Big Sincere Thank-you for calling during the show to Robert in New Jersey. 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